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Whitney Kippes, class of 2008

Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and American History

I graduated from SMU with my BA in Political Science and
American History in 2008. At the time, SMU only offered a few
women's studies courses, and only on a rotating basis. For
example, you could only do WS every other year. As a result, I
missed my 101 course, but managed to work women's studies into
various research assignments in almost every class. My favorite
example was a final paper for
Dr. Roger Snider for
Political Ideologies on why socialism would never succeed
without a feminist revolution.

Based on my general proclivity toward women's studies, in
spring 2008 I was invited to participate in a course on advanced
studies taught remotely by
Simona Sharoni. That
course was part of preparation for Women's World 2008, which is
a massive multi-disciplinary conference held in Madrid. Our team
went to the conference and went on to the Basque country to meet
with several organizations and women involved with the
separatist movement. That trip significantly informed my thesis
on the international legal frameworks relative to Basque
separatism. This trip was truly amazing, and definitely shaped
my view on how the world works, and what needs to be done in
order to make real progress.

Today, I'm applying my women's studies knowledge by acting as
a gender mainstreaming advisor within
Lutheran World Relief (LWR). LWR is a faith-based
non-governmental organization working in international
development to achieve its mission to end poverty, injustice and
human suffering. In my role, I help to ensure that all projects
are designed based on an analysis of the different needs of both
men and women in communities experiencing poverty and
marginalization overseas. By analyzing gender-based constraints,
LWR can build programs that reduce gaps between men and women in
access to resources, power, or income in our target communities.